Mental health funds at risk

Phoenix, AZ – State officials are warning they may have to abolish the entireprogram designed to help those in mental health crisis if theirfunding is cut any further.

Interim state health director Will Humble said he's being asked,like all other agency chiefs, to detail how he would take 15percent out of his budget. That translates to about $68 million.But Humble explained Monday that the department already has beenhit hard already with prior budget cuts. He said the result hasbeen slashing a host of public health programs, ranging fromreducing follow-up home visits of premature infants toeliminating funding for children's vaccines.

"Because those funds are essentially 100 percent depleted at thispoint, what you'll see as you look at the $68 million reductionreport is that, for the most part, the additional reductions arein the behavioral mental health parts of the department."

Humble said that means eliminating the crisis response system. Itnow handles about 10,600 calls a month statewide, often frompolice agencies who come across someone with serious mentalhealth problems. And crisis teams now respond to the scenethemselves to help out those first responders about a third ofthe time. With the funding gone, deputy health director LauraNelson said police will be left with three choices: Take theperson to a shelter if he or she is homeless, take the person toa hospital emergency room to be stabilized or, if neither ofthose are appropriate, simply walk away.